Do you know a male who has seen or been subjected to any of the following? If they have, then they have been abused.
Physical abuse includes:
* pushing, shoving, shaking, kicking or throwing
* slapping, grabbing, hitting, punching, beating, tripping, battering, bruising, choking, shaking
* pinching, biting or hair-pulling
* holding, restraining, confinement
* breaking bones
* burning with cigarettes, scalding water, or other hot objects
* severe physical punishment that is inappropriate to child's age
* assault with a weapon such as a knife or gun
* murder
Verbal or nonverbal abuse may include:
* threatening or intimidating to gain compliance
* destruction of the victim’s personal property and possessions, or threats to do so
* violence to an object (such as a wall or piece of furniture) or pet, in the presence of the intended victim, as a way of instilling fear of further violence
* yelling or screaming
* name-calling
* constant harassment
* embarrassing, making fun of, or mocking the victim, either alone within the household, in public, or in front of family or friends
* criticizing or diminishing the victim’s accomplishments or goals
* not trusting the victim’s decision-making
* telling the victim that they are worthless on their own, without the abuser
* excessive possessiveness, isolation from friends and family
* excessive checking-up on the victim to make sure they are at home or where they said they would be
* saying hurtful things while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and using the substance as an excuse to say the hurtful things
* blaming the victim for how the abuser acts or feels
* making the victim remain on the premises after a fight, or leaving them somewhere else after a fight, just to “teach them a lesson”
* making the victim feel that there is no way out of the relationship
Sexual abuse includes:
* sexual assault: forcing someone to participate in unwanted, unsafe, or degrading sexual activity
* sexual harassment: ridiculing another person to try to limit their sexuality or reproductive choices
* sexual exploitation (such as forcing someone to look at pornography, or forcing someone to participate in pornographic film-making)
Stalkers employ a number of threatening tactics:
* repeated phone calls, sometimes with hang-ups
* following, tracking (possibly even with a global positioning device)
* finding the person through public records, online searching, or paid investigators
* watching with hidden cameras
* suddenly showing up where the victim is, at home, school, or work
* sending emails; communicating in chat rooms or with instant messaging (cyberstalking: see below)
* sending unwanted packages, cards, gifts, or letters
* monitoring the victim’s phone calls or computer-use
* contacting the victim’s friends, family, co-workers, or neighbors to find out about the victim
* going through the victim’s garbage
* threatening to hurt the victim or their family, friends, or pets
* damaging the victim’s home, car, or other property
Stalking is unpredictable and should always be considered dangerous.
* tracking you
* contacting you when you do not wish to have contact
* attempting to control you or
* frightening you
Economic or financial abuse includes:
* withholding economic resources such as money or credit cards
* stealing from or defrauding a partner of money or assets
* exploiting the someone's resources for personal gain
* withholding physical resources such as food, clothes, necessary medications, or shelter
* preventing a spouse or intimate partner from working or choosing an occupation
Spiritual abuse includes:
* using someone's religious or spiritual beliefs to manipulate them
* preventing a partner from practicing their religious or spiritual beliefs
* ridiculing the other person’s religious or spiritual beliefs
* forcing the children to be reared in a faith that the partner has not agreed to